San Jose –UCLA Professor Donald Shoup is coming to San Jose to talk about his book, The High Cost of Free Parking, on Wednesday, February 24. “Getting the price of parking right will do a world of good,” says Shoup. “It will reduce cruising for parking, it will reduce air pollution, it will make pedestrian life better…and maybe even slow global warming.”

Why: San Jose is in the midst of updating its General Plan as well as planning for a walkable, compact neighborhood around Diridon Station. Parking is a critical issue that always sparks debate. Shoup argues that cities’ parking policies distort transportation choices, debase urban design, damage the economy, and degrade the environment. He proposes reforms designed to undo a century of bad planning for parking.

Co-Sponsors: Greenbelt Alliance, the Great Communities Collaborative, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, TransForm, the City of San Jose, San Jose State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department and Urban Planning Coalition, Mineta Transportation Institute, and the American Planning Association

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area’s advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org